1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a paper supply device which takes out sheets of paper and feeds them in a specified direction, and an image forming apparatus using the paper supply device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a paper supply device used together with an image forming apparatus or the like, adherents such as paper trash may stick to the surfaces of pick-up rollers for taking sheets of paper out of a paper tray, paper supply cassette or the like when the rollers take out sheets of paper. With such adherents deposited, the rollers are incapable of smoothly taking out sheets of paper, and paper feed failure may eventually result. In this case the rollers must be replaced with a new one during maintenance work. To cope with this, apparatuses which bring a removing member into contact with pick-up rollers and remove adherents have been conventionally developed like that laid open to public inspection under Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open 11-334911.
However, this conventional removing member is brought into contact with pick-up rollers to remove adherents from their surfaces only when the pick-up rollers move away from sheets of paper, and adherents are not removed at all when the pick-up rollers are taking out sheets of paper. For the reason, when sheets of paper with more adherents, such as paper trash, like recycled paper and low-price imported paper which have recently become widespread, are continuously fed, operation of removing adherents is not performed until the pick-up rollers are brought apart from paper even if a removing member is installed. As a result, the adherents to the pick-up rollers will cause paper feed failure, and a paper jam will occur due to take-out failure, paper feed delay, or the like or display quality will be degraded due to skewing of paper.
Therefore, paper supply devices are demanded to feed sheets of paper via pick-up rollers with reliability regardless of the quality of the paper, even in case of continuous paper feed, and image forming apparatuses are demanded to obtain images with high display quality without causing any paper jam.
An object of the present invention is to efficiently remove adherents sticking to pick-up rollers which take out sheets of paper to prevent degradation in the functionality of the pick-up rollers, and feed sheets of paper with reliability without a paper jam due to paper feed failure even if sheets of paper involving much paper trash and the like are continuously fed.
A further object of the present invention is to take out sheets of paper toward an image forming means by means of pick-up rollers without fail regardless of the quality of the paper, by extension form images with high display quality without causing any paper jam, and provide a paper support means for supporting sheets of paper, a pick-up means for taking the sheets of paper out of the paper support means in a specified direction, and a removing means which is kept in contact with the pick-up means and removes adherents sticking to the pick-,up means.
Further, according to the present invention, a paper supply device is provided which paper supply device comprises a paper support, member which supports sheets of paper, pick-up rollers which take the sheets of paper out of the paper support member in a specified direction, and a removing member which is kept in contact with the pick-up rollers and removes adherents from the pick-up rollers.
Further, according to the present invention, an image forming apparatus is provided which image forming apparatus comprises a paper support member which is installed in the main body of the apparatus and supports sheets of paper, pick-up rollers which take the sheets of paper out of the paper support member, a removing member which is kept in contact with the pick-up rollers and removes adherents sticking to the pick-up rollers, an image forming means which is installed in the main body of the apparatus and forms images on the sheet of paper taken out by the pick-up rollers.